Alternate Criminal Justice Center locations

**middetres** · April-28-16, 11:32 AM

I would tend to agree that the Mound location that is always being floated as home to Wayne County's new criminal justice complex leaves a lot to be desired.

First and foremost is its remoteness from convenient transportation routes, both public and private.

Wayne County needs new court facilities just as much as new jail facilities, but given the new era of video arraignments and appearances, I don't think the courthouse and jail have to be so close to each other. Why not build a new courthouse downtown that stays close to other existing courthouses and the existing law firm base and just move the jail elsewhere?

Or if a unified criminal justice complex is still the preferred ideal, why not something close to where I-96 and Southfield intersect? This area is very well served by both freeways and bus routes and is closer to the majority of Wayne County's population in the western suburbs. And there is a lot of unused industrial property that can be re-purposed.

What say you?

**daddeeo** · April-28-16, 12:03 PM

Why screw up a decent neighborhood trying to survive?

Keep it where it is and salvage existing mess.
Taxpayers have had enough helping owners "investment" in the city by giving tax breaks etc. that don't give back to make it worthwhile.

**Mackinaw** · April-28-16, 12:24 PM

I'd be fine with a new jail out on mound or anywhere, but if the FMHOJ is taken out, a new court and holding facility [[and prosecutor's office) should be constructed across from the District Court around Madison @ Beubien, or over in the parking lot sea of SW downtown, immediately west of Federal Court [[chose your parcel between there and the Lodge). Courts and government offices need to be downtown. End of story.

**Bham1982** · April-28-16, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

Why screw up a decent neighborhood trying to survive?

Are you referring to downtown or Mound Road?

The criminal justice/court complex is a major job and economic generator for downtown, and could hardly be better located. Pretty much every restaurant downtown east of Woodward relies on that complex for lunchtime business.

If this city really removes that whole complex from the downtown core, in exchange for half-baked promises from a charlatan, it will have made yet another monumental mistake.

**MSUguy** · April-28-16, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by middetres

I would tend to agree that the Mound location that is always being floated as home to Wayne County's new criminal justice complex leaves a lot to be desired.

First and foremost is its remoteness from convenient transportation routes, both public and private.

Wayne County needs new court facilities just as much as new jail facilities, but given the new era of video arraignments and appearances, I don't think the courthouse and jail have to be so close to each other. Why not build a new courthouse downtown that stays close to other existing courthouses and the existing law firm base and just move the jail elsewhere?

Or if a unified criminal justice complex is still the preferred ideal, why not something close to where I-96 and Southfield intersect? This area is very well served by both freeways and bus routes and is closer to the majority of Wayne County's population in the western suburbs. And there is a lot of unused industrial property that can be re-purposed.

What say you?

I would say near the new police hq and federal building would be more logical than 96 and Southfield. Plenty lots in that part of downtown. Having the court downtown is a must. And if you are going locate jail elsewhere there are much closer pockets of vacant land to cut down on transportation cost.

**Scottathew** · April-28-16, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

Why screw up a decent neighborhood trying to survive?

Just for clarity, you do know that the Mound Road site, as it exists today, is a fenced-in ~1/4 square mile site with no houses on it [[other than cell blocks), right?

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4240.../data=!3m1!1e3

**GPCharles** · April-28-16, 01:41 PM

Also, just so everyone knows, the Wayne County Circuit Court - Criminal Division a/k/a the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, is located just across the street from the site of the unfinished jail.

http://www.michiganmodern.org/buildi...all-of-justice

**Danny** · April-28-16, 01:55 PM

When Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores built their MLS soccer stadium, [[the Pro Soccer sport that nobody in America watches.), It will so beautiful that only a handful of people will pay see it. Look what happen to Detroit Shock, WNBA team that nobody wants to see.

Face it folks when it comes to professional competitive sports in the United States, Baseball, Basketball and Football [[ I don't mean soccer) is king.

**ekleezy** · April-28-16, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

When Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores built their MLS soccer stadium, [[the Pro Soccer sport that nobody in America watches.), It will so beautiful that only a handful of people will pay see it. Look what happen to Detroit Shock, WNBA team that nobody wants to see.

Face it folks when it comes to professional competitive sports in the United States, Baseball, Basketball and Football [[ I don't mean soccer) is king.

MLS has actually been extremely successful in the US so far. The Philadelphia Union had an average attendance of 17400 last year and the Seattle Founders FC has regularly had attendance at 40000+. An MLS official said at the Detroit press conference that only 3% of season ticket holders were crossovers from the NFL season ticket holders. MLS serves a market that the other sports we currently have do not serve.

**ekleezy** · April-28-16, 02:10 PM

Meant to say Seattle Sounders FC*

**Hypestyles** · April-28-16, 04:22 PM

west of downtown, east of downtown, hopefully something can be created and it has to be fully accessible with bus access, disability access, etc.

**ABetterDetroit** · April-29-16, 10:53 AM

I agree that a new FMHOJ should be downtown. For a location I would think that new construction on the front lawn of the HQ for the Police and Fire Departments would work nicely. There is a abundance of parking in the huge deck owned by the city next door, a very short walk for officers who need to appear in court and the land is vacant and owned by the State Building Authority so the land cost should not be a issue.

**swingline** · April-29-16, 02:19 PM

Making the $$$ work for the county for anything other than completion of the fail jail is a longshot.

That being said, the best alternative site for Circuit Court Criminal Division and the new jail is the parking lots at Abbott and Second. Close off Abbott east of Second to consolidate the parcels. The site has Michigan Avenue frontage. This site doesn't have enough room for the Juvenile Detention Center. No problem though. That facility does not need proximity to the Criminal Division. Most of the guests of that facility are involved with either Probate Court or the Family Division. They require transportation under the current set up already.

The court and the jail should stay downtown.

As a small threadjack, LBP would never admit as much, but area developers and planners who study such stuff will quickly acknowledge that the single worst economic development decision ever made by Oakland County was removing its government offices, including administration, courts, jails and law enforcement, from downtown Pontiac in the 1970s. Hundreds of acres of fringe city limits land removed from the tax rolls and thousands of people per day removed from the CBD. But county employees get to park for free [[or looking at it another way, subsidized by county taxpayers) so everything's ok.

**ABetterDetroit** · April-29-16, 03:28 PM

Courts yes, Jail hell no. Taking up valuable tax generating downtown real estate for a high rise jail is foolish when there is no shortage of affordable land in the city but it does explain why the counties finances ended up in deep trouble. Make Detroit Detention Center on Mound road do the job, it is underutilized and available for the taking, like free. Just because the Ficano political machine says it won't work don't believe them. Of course they are going to say that, the fail jail is a monumental screw up on every level, the ass covering is still going on with the "We have to finish it" BS.

**royce** · May-01-16, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit

Courts yes, Jail hell no. Taking up valuable tax generating downtown real estate for a high rise jail is foolish when there is no shortage of affordable land in the city but it does explain why the counties finances ended up in deep trouble. Make Detroit Detention Center on Mound road do the job, it is underutilized and available for the taking, like free. Just because the Ficano political machine says it won't work don't believe them. Of course they are going to say that, the fail jail is a monumental screw up on every level, the ass covering is still going on with the "We have to finish it" BS.

Agreed about the jail not being downtown. The Mound Road jail makes sense if it's not being used. However, what is the purpose of the William Dickerson jail in Poletown? Doesn't it house Wayne County prisoners? Being closer to downtown, couldn't this jail serve the purpose of the "fail-jail?" It would be a ten minute or less ride from the Dickerson jail to Frank Murphy. Can it be expanded if more jail cells are needed? Just my two cents.